Abstract:
Animal diseases are a major constraint to livestock production in the world as well as in Kenya. High cost of conventional anthelmintic drugs and development of resistance by parasites has made it necessary to seek for other alternative drugs including use of medicinal plants. Thus, there is need to scientifically investigate the claimed efficacy of these medicinal plants and validate their use. The main aim of this research was to investigate in vivo anthelmintic activity of a spray-dried herbal drug powder mixture from Entada leptostachya (Harms) and Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC against gastrointestinal nematodes of ruminants. Animal models (sheep) that were infected with mixed species of gastrointestinal worms were used for the bioassay. The sheep were placed into 4 groups of 5 animals each and treated with various concentrations of the herbal drug. Egg per gramme count of the faecal samples was determined using the McMaster technique, and faecal egg count reduction monitored for fourteen days. The results obtained were analysed using SPSS and Microsoft Office Excel to determine the statistical significances of the results obtained. Methanol extracts from both plants was the highest; 23.46 % ± 2.02 for P. juliflora and 39.68 % ± 0.30 for E. leptostachya. Phytochemical analysis of the herbal drug was carried out based on visual observation of color or precipitate formation after addition of specific reagents to the plant extract. Saponins, steroids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins and alkaloids were found to be present in the herbal drug. The in vivo test results revealed time dependent anthelmintic activity with a maximum reduction in EPG (80.95 %) on day 11 post-treatment (PT) in sheep treated with a dose of 250 mg/kg b.w. of the herbal drug. The herbal drug was effective and comparable with the levamisole-based conventional drug, and thus recommended for use by livestock keepers as an alternative anthelmintic for small ruminants.
